Homemade Cold Brew Concentrate
Unsweetened cold brew concentrate at espresso strength — Jeffrey Morgenthaler's bartender-tested formula for Espresso Martinis without an espresso machine.
Cold brew concentrate is the unsweetened cousin of cold brew coffee syrup, designed for cocktails where the bartender wants to control sugar separately. Brewed at a one-pound-coffee-to-two-quarts-water ratio, the resulting concentrate is roughly espresso strength — three-quarters of an ounce of concentrate delivers the same caffeine and coffee character as a full shot of pulled espresso, without the heat that melts ice and dilutes a shaken cocktail. Jeffrey Morgenthaler popularized this formula at Clyde Common in Portland, and it has since become the standard for craft Espresso Martini programs at home and behind the bar.
- 1 poundcoffee beans(coarse-ground; medium-dark roast preferred)
- 2 quartswater(filtered, room temperature)
- 1Combine the coarse-ground coffee with one quart of the water in a large container, stirring gently until all the grounds are fully wet, then let it rest for thirty minutes for the grounds to bloom and release CO2.
- 2Add the remaining quart of water and stir briefly to combine the bloomed coffee with the rest of the brewing water.
- 3Cover the container with a lid or plate and let it steep at room temperature for twenty-four hours — refrigeration slows extraction and is not recommended for the brewing stage.
- 4After twenty-four hours, strain the concentrate through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl or pitcher, removing the bulk of the wet grounds without pressing them.
- 5Strain the liquid a second time through a coffee filter or cheesecloth-lined funnel to remove the fine sediment that produces grit and bitter aftertaste.
- 6Transfer the clarified concentrate to a clean glass bottle using a funnel, then seal and refrigerate.
- 7To use in cocktails, measure three-quarters of an ounce per Espresso Martini and combine with vodka, coffee liqueur, and simple syrup; for a regular cup of coffee, dilute one part concentrate with three to four parts water or milk.
Store in a sealed glass container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. The concentrate should retain its dark color and rich coffee aroma; discard if any cloudiness, fermentation bubbles, or sour smell develops. Cold brew concentrate has a shorter shelf life than sweetened cold brew syrup because it lacks the preservative effect of high sugar concentration. For longer storage of up to one month, add a tablespoon of vodka before bottling. Keep refrigerated.
Use coarse-ground coffee — French press grind is the right texture, while finer grinds over-extract and create persistent sediment that ruins the finished concentrate. A burr grinder produces dramatically more even particles than a blade grinder; pre-ground beans labeled French press are an acceptable shortcut. Twenty-four hours of steeping at room temperature is the sweet spot — refrigerated brewing slows extraction by about half and produces a thinner concentrate, while warm brewing pulls bitter compounds. Filter twice for the cleanest finish; the second pass through a coffee filter is what separates restaurant-quality concentrate from gritty home brew. The one-to-four coffee-to-water concentration matches espresso strength for cocktail use; for ready-to-drink iced coffee, dilute the finished concentrate with three to four times its volume of water or milk. Press a lemon peel over the top of an Espresso Martini before shaking, as Morgenthaler does, to add aromatic citrus oil that brightens the coffee character.
Cold brew coffee dates back to seventeenth century Japan with the Kyoto-style slow-drip method, and Dutch traders are credited with spreading the technique across Asia and Europe in the 1600s and 1700s. Modern American cold brew gained mainstream popularity around 2010 through specialty coffee roasters like Stumptown and Chameleon Cold-Brew. Jeffrey Morgenthaler at Clyde Common in Portland was among the first craft bartenders to publicly champion using cold brew concentrate in Espresso Martinis instead of pulled espresso, publishing his concentrate recipe on his blog and competing with the technique in PUNCH Magazine's Espresso Martini tasting in the 2010s. The Espresso Martini cocktail itself was created in the late 1980s in London by the legendary bartender Dick Bradsell at the Soho Brasserie for a famous model who reportedly asked for a drink that would wake her up.
For a bolder concentrate suited to mocha cocktails and tiramisu drinks, increase the coffee to one and a quarter pounds per two quarts of water. A decaf cold brew concentrate works equally well for evening cocktails and uses the same ratio with decaffeinated coarse-ground beans. A flavored variation steeped with two cinnamon sticks for the full twenty-four hours produces a spiced concentrate ideal for fall coffee cocktails. For a chocolate-coffee concentrate, add three tablespoons of cocoa nibs to the steep along with the coffee. A nitrogen-infused finish can be achieved by transferring the strained concentrate to a cream whipper charged with N2O, producing a creamy stout-style mouthfeel for drinks like Black Velvet riffs.
No common allergens. Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Coffee contains substantial caffeine — concentrate has approximately 200mg per ounce, two to three times the strength of regular brewed coffee. Not suitable for caffeine-sensitive guests or pregnant women in larger doses; serve mindfully.